This section provides background information related to the present disclosure and is not necessarily prior art.
A climate-control system such as, for example, a heat-pump system, a refrigeration system, or an air conditioning system, may include a fluid circuit having an outdoor heat exchanger, an indoor heat exchanger, an expansion device disposed between the indoor and outdoor heat exchangers, and one or more compressors circulating a working fluid (e.g., refrigerant or carbon dioxide) between the indoor and outdoor heat exchangers. Efficient and reliable operation of the one or more compressors is desirable to ensure that the climate-control system in which the one or more compressors are installed is capable of effectively and efficiently providing a cooling and/or heating effect on demand.
Oil can be injected into the scroll elements of a high-side compressor to improve sealing and reduce friction between the orbiting and non-orbiting scroll members and improve overall compressor efficiency. Oil can be delivered to the scrolls using a pressure differential between discharge-pressure fluid and suction-pressure fluid, for example. Oil flow is metered and injected into the initial suction pockets where it atomizes and mixes with the gas being compressed. The gas and oil mixture is compressed and then discharged into the shell. Prior to the gas exiting the shell and flowing into the system, oil can be separated from the gas and returned to the compressor oil sump.